


What did we lose?

by BloodatDawn666



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Bill Cipher comes back, Mind Manipulation, Not what he seems, Twins, What-If, whoisnassstya
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-03
Updated: 2015-05-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 03:22:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3675543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodatDawn666/pseuds/BloodatDawn666
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would have happened if Mabel didn't press the button?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. We made the right choice.

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for all current Gravity Falls episodes. DO NOT read if you have not seen Not What He Seems. This starts in the very last scene of Not What He Seems. 
> 
> This idea came from a comic done by whoisnassstya. You can find that here: http://whoisnassstya.tumblr.com/post/114957749221/ive-ruined-friends-life-with-this-show-and-she. Please check it out and the person that lead me to finding the comic cherryviolets they also have an amazing rebel falls au.

"I'm so sorry..." Tears floated up from Mabel's eyes because of the gravitational anomaly. She placed her hand over the button about to press it.  

 

"Stop! No, no, no, no. Please listen to me-!" Stan shouted at her, pain and panic in his eyes. He couldn't lose this not all of that work. Not the family. 

 

"Mabel!" Dipper shouted. "Turn it of-" 

 

"No don't listen to h-" 

 

"Now!" Mabel took one last glance between the two debating who she should trust. She eventually chose her brother more tears flowing and rising from her eyes. As the clock reached 00:01 Mabel pressed the button.

 

A female robotic voice monotone breaking the tension said,  _"The operation was declined."_ And then everyone came crashing to the ground the room lighting up red. Dipper scrambled up and he grabbed the third journal hugging it to his chest protectively glaring at Stan. Who collapsed onto his knees his hands raising up to his face in disbelief   

 

"No, no, no, no," Each one sounded more desperate than the last. "W-what have you done?" His voice wasn't angry it wasn't anything more then utter despair. Soos looked over to Mr. Pines feeling sympathetic but he had to trust and protect the kids but he was now uncertain. "I was waiting for this thing for  thirty years." A sob escaped him Mabel moved trying getting up and Dipper quickly ran over to her to help. She was starting to cry again she was hurt and she knew she had hurt Stan. Who buried his head in his hands sobbing, "thirty years Mabel." He wasn't blaming her. He couldn't blame them he loved them but... 

 

Dipper wrapped his arms protectively around his twin. He wanted to protect her from Stan and comfort her. "Mabel, There's nothing left to do here. They,-" referring to Agent Powers and Trigger. "-Were right, He's not what he seems." Mabel felt tears come down he face and she clutched onto Dipper tightly hoping she had made the right choice. 

 

"Please kids if you would just listen to me."  Dipper opened his mouth about to chew Stan out but Mabel stopped him not wanting to cause anymore pain then there already was. 

 

"Come on Dipper let's just go." He looked like he was about to argue but he stopped seeing the look on her face and nodded. To much had happened already. He calmly lead her away, walking up to Soos who gave them a questioning look and Dipper nodded to him. Silently communicating that they would spend time at his house. Dipper helped Mabel towards the stairs just wanting to get away. 

 

Soos, in the last moments before he left, looked back at the sobbing member of the family who just that morning they would have risked everything for and turned to follow the twins.  

* * *

Mabel had gathered Waddles and her scrapbooks which were both now hugged tightly to her chest in the back of Soos' car. Dipper had been more practical getting a first aid kit and some sets of clothes for both of them. He slowly bandaged up the cuts he had gotten from being thrown around by the gravitational anomalies. Thinking back he honestly thought Mabel had made the right choice but he was starting to have doubts himself.

 

He was now having a hard time picturing Stan-or whatever hisreal name was, building a doomsday machine. He obviously had grown to care about him an Mabel over the past few weeks. Dipper had also grown to trust the author though  and his books as it had helped them meany times in one fight or another. Maybe Stan had different intentions for using the machine and didn't know about the dangers it possessed. Even in that case though Mabel still made the right decision. 

 

He turned, done getting himself bandaged up and he moved, starting to quietly bandage Mabel. When he was done she let out a sob clutching Waddles closer to her chest. "Mabel-" He was cut off. 

 

"It's not right everything is so wrong..." 

 

"Hey no..." Dipper moved forward trying to hug her. She pulled away. "Mabel what would have happened if you didn't press the button?" She looked down and sniffed rubbing her nose. He moved and rubbed her back softly. "You did good Mabel-" He pause doubt clouding him. "Who knows what he wanted to do." The conversation ended there and Dipper eventually moved his hand away from his sister.  

* * *

Soos' place wasn't much better for conversation but Dipper didn't really mind. After the events of they day everyone needed some rest. He let Mabel get all the space she needed cuddling up with waddles. He curled up himself on the sofa and read through the book for what was probably the tenth time during that summer. He wished he would have grabbed the other two books when he left. Maybe they had something in them that he didn't know about.

 

He was surprised Mabel was able to sleep he knew even if he tried, even if he was exhausted, he wouldn't be able too. His mind was buzzing with doubt and guilt. Given time to think he wished something had happened differently that Stan would have had time to explain. He guessed that if the Agents hadn't shown up Stan would have explained everything. Whether or not he would have told the truth remained to be seen but it would at least been nice if they had known the situation before making the quick choices they had to. 

 

He was shocked when Mabel tore the book out of his hand and he looked up quickly. "Mabel-" She ignored him and shoved a scrap book into his lap confiscating the journal. Dipper looked down at the scrap book covered in an array of stickers some of which spelled out THe Wacky SUmMer at the MYstEry SHack. Dipper couldn't help but smile knowing Mabel had done her best to try and get all the letters in the correct capitalization but just couldn't find the right stickers.  He knew what she was trying to say even if it was passive aggressively.  _Who do you trust more? Your family or that dumb author?_

Dipper couldn't help but smile as he flipped through the pages. Pictures of them after the gnome attack. Them fishing before the events of the Gobblewonker. Stan hugging Mabel after she made him his wax statue. Himself failing at the manliness tester. Them with Quentin Trembly. Mabel when she first got Waddles. The Arcade. Summerween. Mumando. Sev'ral Timez. The Candy Monster. When they were trying to figure out Stan's tattoo. Bear-O. Pony Heist. The petting zoo.  Karaoke. Them with a disgruntled Pacifica. Them them all dressed up at the Northwest party. 

 

He rubbed his eyes when tears fell onto the plastic coated pages. He closed the book and he rushed over to Mabel hugging her tightly. Not because she needed it this time but he did. "We need to go back tomorrow...make sure he's okay." 

 

"Okay..." She nodded in agreement moving and hugging her brother back tightly. 

* * *

Dipper was glad Soos was easy to convince to take them back to the shack. They all needed to sit down and talk and figure out what was going on. The car ride was still quiet though know one talking about what might have happened during the night they were gone. 

  
As soon as they were out of the car Mabel rushed into the shack. Seeing Grunkle Stan alive and okay she rushed to hug him. "Grunkle Stan!" 

 

"Mabel wait-" Dipper was ignored though but he could feel something was off, something was wrong. "Forgive me please! Please, please, please. I'm sorry, so so. Thanks to god you're OK. Please forgive me." 

 

Dipper took a step back seeing what Mabel had missed, "M-Mabel..." Stan's face was in a twisted smile and he had those golden yellow snake eyes.

 

"It's nice to see you again, kiddos." 

 


	2. Stolen Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to Stan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea came from a comic done by whoisnassstya. You can find that here: http://whoisnassstya.tumblr.com/post/114957749221/ive-ruined-friends-life-with-this-show-and-she. Please check it out and the person that lead me to finding the comic and here cherryviolets they also have an amazing rebel falls au.

It was a while before Stan was able to get up from where he was sobbing. He wiped his eyes staining his jacket sleeve. Looking around the room, he found journal 1 buried in pile of rubble. He walked over and picked it up a choppy breath escaping him he couldn't hide how upset he was. 

 

The journal was opened up to some of the first original pages in the book. There was an old Polaroid picture of him and his brother. The six fingered dork, it felt like losing him all over again. He couldn't even restart. He wasn't going to live another thirty years. 

 

He then tensed sensing someone in his presence. "Who's there!?" His voice was now angry wanting something to finally take out his feelings on. An astral hand then touched his shoulder and a voice he knew all to well spoke. 

 

"Hey, buddy," Stan scowled he was not in the mood to deal with Bill Cipher today. "Everything is broken, huh?" The God smirked and placed both stick hands on Stan's shoulders. "Your family left you-" Stan tried to stay angry tried to not let Bill take advantage of his emotions. "I guess they weren't _him_. Would  _he_ have done this to you?" Bill chuckled knowing it was starting to effect Stan. "They ruined your only chance to get your real family back. And what are you going to do about it?" Stan looked down putting his glasses back on, tears started to flow again. "You sacrificed everything for this family. But Hey! Don't be sad my friend." 

 

Stan turned finally to look at Bill, the cheery one eyed god, "We could fix it? Right?" Stan gave a shock looked at first knowing what Bill was asking but then ultimately he nodded. Bill had won manipulating Stanford's emotions. "Ha great! I can fix all of this for you. I can bring him back. All I need is one thing." 

 

"Anything I don't care what it is I just want him back." 

 

"Good then let's get started." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes this is a short chapter but the ending to the cliff hanger of the first one is coming soon.


	3. Was this Bill's Idea?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins find out that Stan and the journals might be lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea came from a comic done by whoisnassstya. You can find that here: http://whoisnassstya.tumblr.com/post/114957749221/ive-ruined-friends-life-with-this-show-and-she. Please check it out and the person that lead me to finding the comic and here cherryviolets they also have an amazing rebel falls au.

Dipper pulled back he was going to run, get away but he realized quickly that Mabel was still in danger. "Mabel!" Bill smirked and he hugged her closer. Her brother ran up and pulled back on Mabel's arm separating her from Bill. 

"Dipper what-?" She stepped back and Dipper moved in front of her when she saw that Stan's eyes weren't his own, they were Bill's. "No..." She sounded hurt and defeated. She couldn't believe Stan would do something like this make a deal with Bill. 

"Come on kids don't you recognize your Grunkle Stan!?" Bill feigned the hurt in his voice. 

"What have you done with Stan, Bill!?" Dipper shouted backing up a little. 

Bill smirked a little and he walked up to them, "Oh me? Nothing I'm simply fulfilling his deal with me." Dipper looked down and he panicked a little. 'Stan wouldn't have made a deal with Bill? Would he?' Dipper shook his head he knew he shouldn't trust Bill and he stepped back. 

"You're a liar Bill why should we trust you!?" 

"Oh maybe you shouldn't but he'll surely never trust you again after all you did." Dipper girt his teeth. "Destroyed his plans of thirty years and abandoning him without even letting him explain." Guilt welled up in the twins again, Bill was right they had done all of that. Dipper moved back and he pushed Mabel back as well they needed a plan and they needed to find Stan. Bill laughed, "What no response? I can't say I'm surprised you are so untrusting, Dipper. Well...except for the author of the book of yours." 

Dipper looked down and he hugged the book to his chest. "No it's not true!" 

"Then why did you leave? Why did you press the button?" 

"We didn't know what it was! And we needed time to think. We wouldn't be here now if we didn't care!" 

Bill chuckled, "With one movement and a few words you both ruined his life." Dipper grit his teeth in the middle of anger and guilt. He tried to think of a plan he wanted to lash out at bill but he couldn't then it hit him. He quickly whispered back to Mabel. 

"I need to keep him from destroying the journals if he hasn't already. They could help us. Go back to Soos, I've got this." Mabel then got a determined look on her face. 

"I'm not leaving here without you I'm helping." Dipper sighed but knew she wouldn't back down from it. "Alright on three we need to distract him." Mabel gave a quick nod reaching into her pockets ready for anything. "Ready? One, two, and thee!" 

"What?!" Bill was taken by surprised, the two twins running at him Mabel threw attack glitter and Dipper was able to elbow him off his feet. Dipper then grabbed Mabel's hand and he pulled her past Bill and down to the basement. 

Dipper poured through the rubble of the machine and he quickly found journal two. He bit his lip hearing steps on the stairs knowing Bill had probably recovered. "Where is the first one?!" He looked over to Mabel who was also searching for it, she shook her head she couldn't find it either. 

They then heard the voice of Bill, "You mean this one?" Dipper turned to see Bill pulling out the first journal out of Stan's jacket. Dipper scowled. 

"Give it here Bill!" 

"Heh and why should I it will only help you. You know what I think I'll just destroy it." Dipper's eyes widened as Bill lit his hand with magic. He inched it close to the book and Dipper tried to think of what to do they had to get that book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes another cliff hanger always a good way to end. More like I'm being passive aggressive because of what the show did to the community with it's cliff hanger. 
> 
> Okay passive aggressive over I really want to thank everyone for all the kudos on Ao3 and the Likes and Reblogs on Tumblr. It really kept me going on this having me wake up every morning to see I had new people liking my stuff. A special thanks for whoisnassstya who thought her reblog gave it a big boost.


	4. TWINS?????

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything get's confusing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea came from a comic done by whoisnassstya. You can find that here: http://whoisnassstya.tumblr.com/post/114957749221/ive-ruined-friends-life-with-this-show-and-she . Please check it out and the person that lead me to finding the comic and here cherryviolets they also have an amazing rebel falls au.

Bill chuckled about to set the book on fire when there was an ax thrown next to him. Taken off guard he turned and dropped the journal looking over his shoulder. The ax ended up embedded in one of the left over consuls for the machine.  Dipper looked up and he smiled seeing Wendy elbowing Stanbill out of the way and picking up the first journal. 

 

Dipper and Mabel quickly ran over to her. "Come on we need to get out of here." She nodded and the group ran out of the house back to Soos' car. Afterwords the three needed to catch their breaths as Soos walked over.  

 

"Dudes what happened in there?" 

 

"And what's wrong with Stan?" Wendy asked worried. Dipper took in a deep breath knowing he was going to have to back track for Wendy. 

 

"Stan tried to use this machine we ah don't really know what it is or what it does. The Government thinks that its a dooms day device but...We're not really sure. We shut it down though and we left." Dipper looked down and rubbed his arm. "Stan has been taken over by Bill Cipher but..." Dipper looked over the two journals in his hands and then the one in Wendy's. "There might be something in one of these...that will help us get him back." Wendy nodded a little and she looked down to the book in her hand. 

 

"Then we should get reading?" Dipper nodded a little and bit his lip. "Well we shouldn't stay here...maybe we should go to where we found the bunker last time." Dipper rubbed his arm. 

 

"Yeah hopefully Bill wont find us there." 

* * *

Dipper stopped when they reached the entry way to the lab. "Okay we should be fine here..." He looked around before looking to book number two. He bit his lip wishing he had the time to read everything. Wendy looked over to him worried before she handed out the first book to him. 

 

"You should probably start from the beginning." He looked up to her and gave a small smile taking it. 

 

"Thanks..." He was still a rush of emotions guilt, anger, fear, sadness. He needed a task that would get his mind off of it. Luckily the book would provide just that. He took it and opened it up to the first page. He stopped almost immediately dropping the book. Everyone noticed the look and Mabel moved to pear over his shoulder. 

 

"Dipper?" Wendy asked and he laid it open for everyone to see.  _Property of Stanford Pines._  

 

"What?" Wendy looked over it and Dipper fell back into betrayal. 

 

"Stan couldn't have written these books! Not the Stan I know!" Dipper through the book on the ground in frustration. "How many lies did he tell us!-"

 

"Dipper," Mabel whispered.

 

"He took the authors identity!-"

 

"Dipper," She urged him to stop. 

 

"He probably even killed him-" 

 

"Dipper!" Mabel shouted and he looked over to her. She was holding a photo that had fallen out of the book.  Dipper blinked and she handed over the picture. It was clearly a younger Stan Pines standing with his arms wrapped around someone. Someone who looked almost identical and also had six fingers.  He flipped it over to the back where it read simply,  _Stanford Pines and Stanley Pines._ Dipper blinked and he looked over to the book confused. 

 

"Wait...I'm confused now..." They all looked to him expecting him to know the answer. "I..." He faltered. "I need to read through all of these." They all nodded. 

* * *

Dipper spent the rest of the day reading and marking pages in all three of the books. Around noon Soos left to get snacks and lunch for them but Dipper didn't really eat to focused on reading. Even though he should have been starving not having eaten for about a day and a half. The sun hung low when he sighed and closed the second book. 

 

"Okay...I'm not entirely sure but I think I have it all figured out..." They looked to him as he set out the first book quietly. He opened it up to the first page. 

 

"Stanford Pines is the author but is not the Stanford Pines we know. Though Stan wasn't entirely lying to us..." Everyone looked confused. "In the second book it talks a lot about the portal and it's creation." He sighed and opened up to a page with a set of pictures. One of two young twins and the second a group of three. He pointed over each of them starting with the scrawneyer person in the middle. "Fiddle Ford McGucket." The author, "Stanford Pines. Grunckle Stan...The real one." Then the last one obviously a younger version of the Stan they knew. "Stanley Pines or Granpa Stan." 

 

"Wait...what?" Mable looked confused and shocked. "You mean...wait..." She looked around trying to figure out what Dipper had reveiled. 

 

"There are two Stan Pines. They're twins the one we have been living with is actually our Grandfather Stanley Pines and the author is the real Grunkle Stanford Pines. Our Stan stole his twins identity." 

 

"Do you know why?" Dipper shook his head a little. 

 

"I don't think it was to hurt anyone though. From what I can tell they were close." 

 

"Okay so what's the portal." 

 

"I don't know and neither does the author really...I do know who came up with the idea..." 

 

"Who?" 

 

"It was-Bill it was his idea. He tricked them..."

 

"Where is Stanford Pines then?" Wendy asked. "I mean is he dead?" Dipper shook his head then looked down. 

 

"I know why Stan built the portal..." Mabel looked up and bit her lip watching her brother. "It was to bring the author back..." 

 

"And we shut it down..." She whispered quietly.  Dipper nodded a little. 

 

Wendy huffed, "So what do we do?" 

 

"The old portal the Author originally used is still around. Stan couldn't use it because it needs three people to activate it in the original design." 

 

"Where is it?" 

 

"Back in the bunker..." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't write fight scenes sorry guys...


End file.
